Introduction: Previous studies have demonstrated that the expression of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) subunits encoded by mitochondrial DNA is elevated in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the expression of nuclear DNA-encoded COX IV and its clinical significance have not yet been investigated in CRC.
Material and methods: We examined COX IV expression in paired CRC samples (cancer and pericancerous tissues) by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Western blot and immunohistochemical staining and analyzed its clinical significance.
Results: qPCR and Western blot analyses showed that COX IV expression was significantly elevated at both the mRNA (p = 0.05) and protein levels in CRC tissue samples when compared with those in paired pericancerous tissues. Immunohistochemistry also revealed that COX IV expression was significantly increased in CRC tissues (p < 0.001). Association analyses showed that there was no significant association between COX IV expression and clinical parameters of CRC patients except for gender (p = 0.017). Moreover, we did not find any association between COX IV expression and overall survival or recurrence-free survival of CRC patients. Further analysis showed no significant relationship between the expression of COX IV and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a marker of cell proliferation.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that elevated COX IV expression may play an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis, but not in progression, which warrants further investigation in future studies.